What Organ Is In The Digestive System – Media Reviewed By Cynthia Taylor Chavousti, MPAS, PA-C – By Tim Newman – Updated May 23, 2023

The human digestive system refers to the organs that absorb and break down food. Digestion describes the complex process that allows nutrients from food to enter the body and cells.

What Organ Is In The Digestive System

Food contains all the nutrients the human body needs for health, but large, complex compounds bind them together. During digestion, the body breaks these compounds down into smaller pieces. This allows it to enter the cells, providing energy and other benefits.

Human Body Organs Digestive System Stomach Anatomy Stock Illustration

This article explains how the body digests food from the time it enters the mouth to the time it leaves the body. It also offers some tips on healthy digestion and how to identify problems.

The human gastrointestinal tract, also known as the alimentary canal, is 30 feet (9 meters) long in adults.

In addition, the following organs support digestion, for example by chewing or secreting enzymes and other secretions that allow the body to absorb nutrients:

Together, these organs provide mechanical digestion, secretion of enzymes and bile to aid in the breakdown of compounds, and excretion of waste.

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Chewing and digestion of amylase will turn food into small, round or boluses. This allows the person to swallow easily.

After swallowing, the bolus enters the esophagus, where gravity and muscle contractions help it move into the stomach through a process called peristalsis.

And acid can damage the lining of the stomach, so some cells produce mucus to protect the lining from damage.

The stomach does not absorb much of the chemical, so the chemical enters the small intestine through the pyloric sphincter.

Nutrient Absorption In The Digestive System

Villi are small, finger-like projections that line the walls of the intestine. Inside the villi are small capillaries called lacteals. Villi absorb nutrients by increasing the surface area.

Unwanted food and nutrients now move into the large intestine or colon. The material is now impure.

As digested food passes into the rectum, nerves in the wall of the rectum, called stretch receptors, detect that the chamber is full and increase the urge to defecate.

The first happens automatically and cannot be controlled by a person. This is a relaxation of the smooth muscles in the internal anal sphincter.

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The second is a controlled and conscious relaxation of the skeletal muscles in the external anal sphincter. If a person wants to delay defecation, they can avoid relaxing their muscles to pass the bowel.

The longer the intestine stays, the more the body will absorb. This dryness can cause heavy stools, constipation, and possible side effects. Therefore, one should leave as soon as convenient.

If a person is unable to have a bowel movement for about 3 days or has abdominal or rectal pain or bleeding, they should seek medical advice.

First, the teeth, tongue, and saliva break the food down into a small, liquid bolus that passes through the esophagus.

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The bolus then enters the stomach, where muscle action, acids and enzymes turn it into a paste called a chemical. Chemicals enter the small intestine.

Absorption occurs. Nutrients enter the bloodstream through the villi. From there, the nutrients travel to the various cells of the body. The rest of the food passes into the large intestine or colon.

The digestive system moves food through the body, nutrients can be absorbed into the blood, and cells can use them for energy, tissue growth and repair, and other purposes.

Digestion involves several organs and systems that move food to the next stage, a series of chemicals, and peristaltic, automatic muscle movements.

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Anyone who notices a change in their normal digestive processes should seek medical advice, as it may indicate a medical condition that requires treatment.

Medical News Today has strict research guidelines and only sources peer-reviewed research from academic research institutions, medical journals, and associations. We refrain from using third party references. We link to key sources, including research, scientific references, and statistics within each article and display them in the resources section below our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and up-to-date by reading our editorial policy. Did you know that digestion is a north-south process? It starts in your brain and ends in your bottom. Digestion involves two main actions: the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food: the breaking down of food into the smallest possible particles for easy and efficient absorption. These nutrients are essential for every function in your body and are used by every cell, organ, and system for fuel and energy!

Just the sight and smell of food wakes up and activates our salivary glands, so they start producing saliva. Saliva is the key to all digestion because it contains water and solutes. Solvents are enzymes, and in this case amylase, that help break down carbohydrates. All of this happens before we chew. When something is said to be mouthwatering, that’s why!

The mouth is the entrance to the digestive system and is where all nutrients are absorbed. Along with the physical action of chewing, there is also a chemical (enzymatic) breakdown of food, which creates a bolus (ball of chewed food).

The Structure Of The Digestive System

When we swallow, the bolus enters the small intestine, ready to pass to the stomach. It descends toward a juvenile valve called the cardiac sphincter. When everything is working and happy inside the digestive system, that little valve opens (and closes when necessary) to prevent the bolus from entering and returning to the stomach.

After the bolus reaches the stomach, it mixes with gastric juices to form chyme (from the Greek khūmos “juice”). When digestion is working properly, the stomach secretes gastric juice from millions of tiny glands under the mucosa. Here, a properly functioning digestive system will produce HCl (hydrochloric acid) and pepsin. Unfortunately, many of us are unbalanced and deficient in these important digestive secretions. Without stomach acid levels, the chemical cannot be broken down to the point where it can be released into the intestine. Food can remain in the stomach and cause acid reflux, H. pylori, GERD and digestive problems. *

After the gastric bolus has completed its task of separating the chyme, a valve at the bottom of the stomach opens and allows the chyme to enter a chamber called the duodenum. The duodenum is the first and shortest part of the small intestine, which receives nutrients from the stomach and plays an important role in chemical absorption in preparation for small intestinal absorption. In this duodenum, the acidic chemistry is “cooled” and further broken down by the juices of the bile and pancreatic glands. It is essential for the emulsification and absorption of fats.

Note: The liver, gallbladder, and pancreas are called the biliary tract. Food particles do not pass directly through the bile duct. Rather, bile (produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder) and digestive juices, enzymes, and bicarbonate (produced in the pancreas) enter the digestive system through the duodenum. In other words, although the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas are “non-digestive”, they are vital to digestion (valves/sphincters (small gates).

Digestive System Chart. Digestive Organs In A Human Body. Vector Illustration Of Human Body Physiology Royalty Free Svg, Cliparts, Vectors, And Stock Illustration. Image 110568316

The largest organ in the body, the liver has over 500 functions, including making bile and filtering toxins. Bile is a fluid that helps break down fats and flushes out toxins filtered by the liver. It also lubricates the intestines which prevents constipation. Without a healthy gut, the body cannot properly absorb fats and soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

The gallbladder is a gland that holds the bile produced by the liver. When food is consumed, the gallbladder is released into the duodenum, where it mixes with pancreatic juices and breaks down the food into molecules that can be absorbed into the small intestine.

The pancreas, a gland that produces digestive juices, further digests fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, a mixture that includes bicarbonate and pancreatic enzymes. If the bile in the gallbladder breaks down the fat into specific microscopic particles, the digestive lipase enzymes in the pancreas can further break down the fat for absorption in the small intestine. The pancreas produces insulin, which converts sugar into energy and stores excess sugar as fat. The pancreas helps your digestive system by making hormones. Pancreatic hormones help regulate blood sugar and appetite, stimulate stomach acids, and tell you when your stomach should be empty.

The small intestine is the part of the small intestine where 90% of digestion and absorption occurs. (Another 10% occurs in the stomach and large intestine, in addition to supporting additional organs such as the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder). The main function of the intestine is to absorb nutrients

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